Going from 0 to 100
At first I thought I would post this at my Creative Sparks group, but decided to share it with a larger audience. With apologies to "Copyblogger" from whom I extrapolated these thoughts:
With any art project, you've got to start with nothing at all and go all the way through until it's finished. That sounds obvious (and I do have a remarkable grasp of the obvious sometimes), but it's significant for one important reason. It means that you need to go through the process in order to end up with some good art. It means that along the way some of what you'll create will be good and some won't be good--that's just how it goes.
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You need to trust yourself to go from 0% to 100@....from nothing to everything. You might hit a block at 24%, you might create a killer piece at 68% that you're insanely proud of....or any number of variations in the process. Every bit you create adds to the whole, whether it's good or not. You need there will be gold along the way and that you will spot it.
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Be ready to push yourself. I'm sure I'm not the first one to draw a correlation between finishing a piece of art and giving birth. There are some big differences, but there are some important similarities--the pain, the wonder, the fear and the joy. Creating art requires you to externalize what's internal, and that can be awkward, painful, and frustrating.
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Sometimes, art requires you to go to places in your head or your heart that you don't normally go. There are times when your art requires you to put your experience on paper and times when it requires you to make leaps of faith that make you feel vulnerable or scare you half to death.
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Create like no one is watching!
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Confidence isn't knowing how things will turn out, it's trusting yourself to do what you're best at. Trust yourself to make those leaps and you'll not only be a more confident artist, but you will be doing your best work yet!
6 Comments:
"Create like no one is watching" - sound advice.
Also, create like no one is going to make snarky remarks about the results... I need to work on that one, I'm getting too scared to do anything, because I'm afraid of being laughed at.
Oh, Anne....you are hanging out with the wrong people! I don't know a soul who would make a snarky remark about your any anyone else's work.
Maybe you'd like to try the Vision Board class?
I love what you've said! I am constantly wrestling with the creative experience. I worry to much about the process and therefore don't always allow myself to 'let go'
and just create. I tend to be a control freak when it comes to art instead of just letting it happen.
I do agree about comparing it to giving birth. I have a hard time letting go of the pieces that I really like, they're like children to me!
THanks for the inspiring thoughts!
I live with the wrong people, then, because it's mostly my husband; my daughters are just Very Polite, especially when they don't understand. After some thought, I've decided that perhaps some of my creations make him uncomfortable?
My best friend (since high school) and my online friends are nicer about my work.
I'll take a look at the vision board class description!
WOW, this is good advice. ;)
Anne, though family "should" always be supportive of us, unfortunately, they aren't. Maybe they feel threatened....and, so their remarks are much more a reflection on them than on your work.
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